Jail for MP Dashti – ‘Fintas Group’ hearing July 13

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KUWAIT CITY, June 16: The Court of Appeals presided over by Judge Abdulrahman Al-Drami has fixed the session of July 13 to study the appeal filed by the Public Prosecution against the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance over the ‘Fintas Group’ case. The court also decided to consider the request for suspending the execution of the lower court’s verdict.

According to the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance, the first defendant Hamad Al-Haroun was sentenced in absentia to ten-year imprisonment with hard labor over the allegation of intentionally broadcasting false news and rumors about the internal security status of the country, misusing the social media and mobile phone and offending the judiciary.

The second defendant Saoud Al-Asfour was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with hard labor. Other defendants Yousef Al-Essa, Fawaz Al-Abdullah, Ahmad Al-Enezi, Mohammad Abdulqadir Al-Jassem, Meshari Bouyabes and Jarrah Al-Dhufairi were acquitted of all charges against them.

The Public Prosecution filed an appeal against the verdict, demanding the imprisonment of the suspects for 15 years instead of five and cancellation of the acquittal of two defendants and punishing them based on strong evidences of their huge role in the case. The court had acquitted two defendants who were accused of offending the Amiri entity.

However, the Public Prosecution appealed against this verdict, explaining that the suspects had insulted the Amiri entity publicly, as indicated by the Court of First Instance earlier. The initial verdict had clearly indicated that the group members had posted statements that were deemed insulting to the Amiri entity. The Public Prosecution insisted that the suspects in this case must be jailed for at least five years with hard labor.

Over the allegation of offending the judiciary, the Public Prosecution stressed that the former chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Faisal Al-Murshid had presented a petition in this regard. It demanded sentencing the first defendant to three-year imprisonment with hard labor and the other two defendants to two-year and four-year jail terms respectively. The Public Prosecution based its appeal against the verdict of the Court of First Instance on three factors — error in application of the law, guilty status of the suspects and need for harsher punishments.

Jail for MP: For the second time the General Prosecutor Consultant Dirar Al-Asousi has issued a verdict in absentia against MP Abdulhameed Dashti and sentenced him to 10 days imprisonment from the date of his arrest in connection with two pending cases and ordered that he be sent to the Central Prison, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The two cases are related to offending the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, no summonses have been issued against him because he is outside the country.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff

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